SAN DIEGO: US Navy veteran Benito Miranda Hernandez faces deportation after ICE detained him following a drug sentence, despite three Iraq war deployments, Al Jazeera reported.
Advocates rallied Thursday outside a federal courthouse in San Diego, California, to seek support for Hernandez, who remains held at the Otay Mesa Detention Centre.
James Smith, founder of Black Deported Veterans of America, said Hernandez had served in the US military after arriving in the United States from Mexico as a baby.
Hernandez completed three tours during the Iraq War. Advocates said military recruiters had presented service as a path to US citizenship for immigrant enlistees.
Al Jazeera reported that Hernandez received a green card for permanent residency earlier this year.
However, his citizenship application was denied after a drug conviction, followed by delays in his naturalisation process.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Hernandez on June 14 after he completed his sentence, according to the report.
His mother, Maria Miranda, said the family initially did not know where agents had taken him.
The case comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration prioritises deportations involving immigrants with criminal records.
Advocates told Al Jazeera that immigrant veterans remain vulnerable because ICE has long failed to track veteran status in detention records.
The New York Times reported in March that at least 34 veterans had entered deportation proceedings in the previous year, according to Al Jazeera.
Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots, said she had contact with about six veterans detained by ICE in 2026. She said the government placed little value on immigrant military service.
Several bills aimed at protecting immigrant veterans remain under consideration in Congress. Hernandez’s next legal steps remain unclear, while advocates continue seeking legal support for his case.
